Giveaway millionaire who never let go of his roots

After leaving school at 15 he worked as a labourer between spells underground at collieries at Temple Newsam and Lofthouse in Leeds.

After leaving the mines in 1962, Mr Heselden's strong work ethic led him to setting up his own sandblasting firm, initially cleaning soot from churches and then cleaning equipment on oil rigs.

His "eureka" moment, which made him his fortune, came in 1990 when he invented the Concertainer – wire cage walls which allow yards of protective walling to be put up in minutes, much quicker and easier than sandbags.

His invention is used by the military across the world to reinforce army bases but the design has many other applications, from flood defences to defending beaches against oil spills.

It made him one of Britain's richest men and he went on to become one of the most generous philanthropists, donating 23m of his personal fortune to charity. Just a few days ago he wrote his latest 10m cheque to the Leeds Community Foundation, which channels money into disadvantaged areas in Leeds.

The donation came after Mr Heselden set up the personal fund in 2008 with an initial 10m contribution and topped it up with a further 3m the following year.

Mr Heselden's gift remains the largest single donation ever received by any of 57 foundations across the country, which were set up to help direct money to the most deserving causes, and its combined value makes it one of the most significant private funds in Britain.

Though generally shy of publicity, Mr Heselden spoke to the Yorkshire Post earlier this month about his decision to gave away large chunks of his fortune. He decided to go public to encourage others to follow his example.

He said: "There are people out there who are making money and when times are good I honestly believe people have a moral obligation to use their wealth to help others," said Mr Heselden.

"There are a lot of families out there who are struggling and a lot of youngsters who have grown up without role models and who can't get jobs. Life turned out pretty well for me, but I still work in the same area where I grew up and every day I see people who for whatever reason are down on their luck."

Mr Heselden, who grew up on Leeds's tough Halton Moor estate, remained true to his roots all his life. The HQ of his company, Hesco Bastion, is on the Cross Green Industrial Estate, a short walk from his childhood home.

Much of the money he has donated to the Leeds Community Foundation will go towards helping disadvantaged youngsters, vulnerable elderly people and health improvement projects in south and east Leeds.

The foundation said yesterday that it would continue to "maintain the spirit" of his fund.

Even before Mr Heselden's most recent donation, 1.7m from his fund had been used to help 81 local projects. A further 4.3m has been given to 14 regional and national projects, many of them linked to the armed forces.

"Much of our work is on Army bases, so it's always made sense that we support related charities," he said recently. He had previously bid 1.5m for nine people to fly with the Red Arrows in aid of Help for Heroes.

His generosity also extended to his workforce. When Hesco won and fulfilled a big order for Kosovo in 1999, he flew 21 staff to Benidorm.

Mr Heselden also declined offers to move production abroad, where it would be cheaper. "This is a Leeds company, always was and always will be," he said.

HELMET PLEA FOR SEGWAY RIDERS

Jimi Heselden bought the Segway company less than a year ago after commissioning a financial analysis of its success in the US, where it was invented.

The scooter, invented by Dean Kamen, has been marketed as a "green commute" but buyers are warned to wear a helmet.

The battery-powered device, which costs about 5,000, is recharged by mains electricity and can travel 18 miles between charges. It has no brakes, gears or steering wheel, but can reach 12mph.

They are controlled by the rider leaning forwards or backwards and left and right.

Sensors detect when it tilts and motors keep it upright.